Pierce v. Santa Maria Joint Union High School District

MEMORANDUM

The district court granted the defendant Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s motion to dismiss all of plaintiff Mark Allan Pierce’s claims except his Title VII claim for disparate treatment. The district court later granted Santa Maria’s motion for summary judgment on that one remaining claim. Pierce appeals those decisions, as well as the district court’s refusal to sanction Santa Maria under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 .

Santa Maria is immune from a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 because Santa Maria is a state agency for purposes of the Eleventh Amendment. See Belanger v. Madera Unified Sch. Dist., 963 F.2d 248, 251 (9th Cir.1992) (holding California school districts are state'agencies for purposes of the, Eleventh Amendment); Pennhurst State Sch. & Hosp. v. Halderman, 465 U.S. 89, 100 , 104 S.Ct. 900 , 79 L.Ed.2d 67 (1984) (“[I]n the absence of consent a suit in which the State or one of its agencies or departments is named as the defendant is proscribed by the Eleventh Amendment. This jurisdictional bar applies regardless of the nature of the relief sought.”). The district court therefore correctly…